During the administration of emergency prehospital care, it is conventional to use a cervical collar where there is a possible cervical/spinal injury. Cervical collars of various designs are well known in the medical field, including commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,374,785, 3,696,810 and 4,205,667. Previously, if the patient bled on the collar, which commonly happens in emergency situations, the collar would be cleaned for subsequent uses with no harmful consequences. Now, contact with blood and other bodily fluids includes the risk of getting contagious diseases so it may be hazardous to reuse a cervical collar that has been bled on. There are methods of sterilizing medical equipment, such as with a water/bleach solution, but it is generally preferred to dispose of the equipment once it has been used. However, current designs for cervical collars are excessively expensive for budget conscious emergency health care providers.
For example, a basic design for a cervical collar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,164 to Hare. The collar is a one piece elongate design with end portions having an increased width that fit up against the side of the user's head below the ear to provide additional positioning and support for the user's head. The cervical collar is made of high density foam with a knit fabric cover. However, this type of cervical collar, while it is simpler than most, is more suited for use by a patient during the recovery from an injury or medical ailment. The high density foam provides comfortable support due to its softness and flexibility, however such foam is rather expensive. Further, the foam must be of substantial thickness to provide the necessary support for the wearer's head. Finally, the fabric cover adds substantially to the cost of the collar.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost, effective design for a cervical collar, which is suitable for one time use.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an emergency cervical collar that provides improved stability to the head and neck of an injured person at low cost.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an emergency cervical collar which avoids the disadvantages and drawbacks and prior art as discussed above.